Foundation lawsuit tied to Heimlich family feud

May 04, 2007|By Michael Higgins, Tribune staff reporter

A non-profit foundation that promotes the Heimlich maneuver to aid choking victims filed a defamation lawsuit Thursday against three critics, including the estranged son of Dr. Henry Heimlich, inventor of the technique.

The Save-A-Life Foundation, based in Schiller Park, alleges that Peter Heimlich and others have falsely accused the foundation of teaching improper first-aid techniques, misleading potential donors about the group's finances and misstating how many people the foundation has trained.

The defendants spread their charges to the news media as part of "their organized campaign to destroy Save-A-Life," according to the lawsuit filed in Cook County Circuit Court.

The criticism has made it harder for Save-A-Life to get government grants and private donations, the lawsuit said.

Also named as defendants are Robert Baratz, an official of the National Council Against Health Fraud, and Jason Haap, who runs the Cincinnati Beacon Web site.

None of the defendants could be reached Thursday for comment.

The lawsuit is the latest chapter in a feud between Henry Heimlich and his son. On his Web site, Peter Heimlich derides his father for continuing to push what he says are discredited theories, such as the idea that the Heimlich maneuver should be used on drowning victims.

The lawsuit alleges that some defendants made defamatory statements on an ABC-7 TV report in November. No news outlets are named as defendants.

Since Save-A-Life was founded in 1993, it has trained about 1.6 million children in lifesaving techniques, the lawsuit said. The foundation says it has 13 branches in seven states.

Dr. Heimlich is closely affiliated with Save-A-Life, and until recently he served on the group's medical advisory board, according to the lawsuit.